


The Hunt For Kira

by LadyLaran, Tisha_Wyman



Series: Ripple Effect [2]
Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms, Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-11 05:25:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5615521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLaran/pseuds/LadyLaran, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tisha_Wyman/pseuds/Tisha_Wyman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With felons dying of heart attacks, L knows that this isn't just the work of a serial killer but a serial killer with connections into the world of the paranormal and supernatural.  So he contacts two members of his network who are friends of his as well to invite them to join him on the case.  How will the story of Death Note go with the Winchesters along for the ride?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Making Contact

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note – This is the sequel to the first story we wrote, and it’s more in my wheel house since it’s dealing with the Death Note storyline. My mother, Tisha_Wyman, and I are happy to present the next installment. I’m sorry it’s taken so long. My health has been an issue as well as the loss of my grandfather before Christmas. Updates may be slow because she and I both have a lot of irons in the fire story-wise, but we will be working on this. 
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Death Note” or “Supernatural.” We do not make money from this story!

Dean Winchester walked into the cabin late Thursday afternoon. He stood in the large living area and listened to the silence. Sam had taken the girls and Ben into the city to shop and visit the doctor. Bobby had come up to the house earlier and was probably in his room or the library. His cell phone began its music, and he answered it as he walked towards his wing of the cabin.

"Dean, this is Watari," the elderly man began, glad to hear the voice of one of the young men who had become good friends with those who worked with L. "Are you busy?"

"I just got in. The house is quiet. I can chat awhile."

"Good," he sighed. "Have you been keeping up with the news lately?"

"Bobby's been keeping us up on it," the younger man said softly. He remembered his conversation with Cas over the holidays. "Are we needed?"

"Truth be told, I'm not a hundred percent certain," Watari commented. "L is nearly absolutely positive that these heart attacks are the work of a serial murderer. There's word the ICPO will be calling for him to investigate this. The truth is, Dean, I have a bad feeling about this."

Dean sighed softly. "I've been waiting for this, Watari. Cas warned me that something bad was coming and that it could be deadly."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. The thing is, whoever or whatever is behind this needs to be stopped. I would like to send Matt to work with Bobby in researching what could be doing this; I know the two still have a lot more work to do on the database they've been building during our times there," he began.

"Send him on. It's too hot outside for Bobby to be at the shop working on cars anyway. Do you need Sam and me?

"I think we will," he said to him. "We could use someone to handle the whole going out and investigating issue because I'd rather keep L and his heirs behind solid walls. Mello may be coming with you due to the fact he will be able to reach the younger crowd for investigation."

"Okay. We'll need a day to get ready. Sara's pregnant, about three months. Can you send the plane for us? The airstrip is finished."

"It'll be on the way with the group within the hour," he told him. "L would like to handle the briefing personally as long as Ben stays away from his candy this time," the older man said with a chuckle. The team of geniuses spent a lot of time at the house, researching and solving cases from their private wing, and while Matt and Mello got along with Ben like a house on fire, L had issues at times fitting in with the others. 

"Sounds good. Give me a call when you near us and I'll drive that big stretch Suburban L bought for you guys out to the strip and pick you up. Too hot for Brits to be outside for long."

"I've seen your weather reports, son, and it's too hot for anything living to exist out there," he teased. 

"True. That's why I air-conditioned one of the garages at the shop and do my work in there."

"Good, now we should see you sometime tomorrow at mid-day," Watari said. 

"Call my cell since I'll probably be at the shop."

"I will, see you soon," he told him, hanging up. It would be around the next day, close to midday when Dean would hear from him again.

Dean placed his phone in his pocket and walked over to Bobby's suite and knocked.

"Yeah," the older hunter called out.

"It's me, Bobby," Dean spoke quietly

"Well get in here, me," he snarked, shaking his head. Sometimes, his boys could be so formal and other times, he despaired of either of them behaving.

The younger hunter entered Bobby's inner sanctum. He walked over to where the older man was sitting in a recliner.

"What's going on," the older male asked, looking up from his work.

"The Whammies will be here around noon or so tomorrow. I'll take the stretch with me to work and drive over to pick them up."

"Let me guess, L's about to be asked to figure out what's going on with the heart attacks," he asked, looking at his heart son.

"Yeah. Watari wants them hidden from view. He's got a bad feeling about it. Remember what Cas said last year. L and the boys could die."

"So I can assume Matt will be here with me on research duty since the kid can research circles around me," he said, chuckling at tad. "What are his plans about the other two boys?"

“He's thinking about having Mello with Sam and me. There was no mention of Near."

"Then that one's in the air then," Bobby commented. "Mello would be good on the ground with you two so that's a smart decision. All right then, order a good meal for pick up tomorrow for an early dinner for them," he asked.

"Okay. I'll give Mary a call. She does home cooking and will deliver for a little extra. Food is good."

"They'll be hungry for something not high in carbs or sugar," he said, shaking his head. “What would you suggest Bobby. The only town near us has restaurants but very few deliver. Sam and the girls are shopping. They could cook something tomorrow."

"Sarah has been working on her art nonstop plus getting a nursery ready," he said. "Sam needs to pack, and Lisa...dunno. Call Mary and see what she suggests."

Dean took out his cell and dialed up the Bluebird Inn. He waited for Mary to answer.

"Bluebird, Mary speaking," a voice chimed.

"Hey, Mary. This is Dean Winchester. How're you doing? The truck still holding up?"

"It's doing wonderful, hon. What can I do for you," she asked.

"The whole gang will be here tomorrow. Can you deliver something filling but low carbs and sugar? Say around one o'clock?"

"The gang would mean the family members with the very finicky appetites," Mary said. "Something tried and true or do you want to push the younger ones again to try something new?"

Dean started laughing. "We can try, can't we?"

"I could do some Tex-mex," she offered. 

"Low carb version?"

"Of course," she answered. "I'll have everything ready if you can have Sam swing by to pick it up?"

"I can try that. I was hoping that son of yours would like to earn an easy twenty by delivering it."

"I can do that if you promise to keep him out of your wife's baking," she answered with a laugh. "He had a tummy ache for two days because he over ate."

Dean laughed. "I'll tell Lisa to hide the goodies. Thanks, Mary."

"No problem, Dean," she laughed. "He'll see you around one."

Dean smiled as he placed his phone back in his pocket. He looked up at the older man and grinned. "We're getting low carb Tex-Mex."

"Let's hope Mary keeps it with high taste or I'm raiding the frozen dinners again," Bobby told the other.

"You'll have to stand in line."

The hunter grinned. "You mean you will."

"We'll see who's faster," the younger man said, smiling. "I'm going to get comfortable and give Sam a call."

"Sounds good," he said. "I'll help Lisa make sure the rooms are ready later. Fresh linens and the like."

"Okay. Sounds good. Talk to you later." Dean left Bobby's suite and headed across the large room towards the door to his wing. Entering the small formal room, he took out his phone and dialed his brother. Walking up the stairs to the bedroom, he waited for the man to answer.

Sam's voice sounded frazzled. "Please tell me you're calling to rescue me."

“Well, that depends, Sammy. Watari called. They'll be here tomorrow. It's the heart attack cases. I think it's what Cas warned us about. Watari's worried about L and the boys.

"Great, all right, I'll get the girls to end this shopping nightmare and head back. They'll be happy to see the boys again," Sam sighed.

"They want us on the case, Sammy."

"I figured that," he said. "I wouldn't want them solving this without us. Their IQs would probably outnumber most of the world's, but their common sense isn't always all there," he told him. "I know they'll let me keep in touch with Sarah."

"Yeah, they will."

"All right, see you soon. You two be ready to help haul things in. I wasn't kidding when I said it was a shopping nightmare," Sam sighed.

Dean smiled, not envying his brother. "We'll be there.”  
"I'll text you when we get close," he told his brother. "Ben deserves a damned medal for putting up with this, let me tell you."

"I'll figure something for him. Not sure what and not much time to do it."

"Spend some time playing that new game Matt sent him for his birthday," Sam advised. "Some snacks and time with you will be all he needs. You like that game anyway. I can handle prepping our gear."

"Thanks, Sammy. I'd hug you, but I’d break the phone."

"Don't do that, Lisa would kill us since she finally figured that system out," he joked. "Just make sure to check the pulled pork in the oven, ok? We're having it and fries tonight. Sarah thought to drop the meat and sauce on them. Not sure but at least it's a mild craving compared to some of the ones she's had lately." A muffled thump would be heard and an "oww" from his brother. 

Dean snickered and told his brother good bye. He left his wing and headed to the main kitchen to check on the pulled pork. It was nearly done. He figured on another fifteen minutes, and he could pull it out.

Bobby came out a short bit to help the man get things ready for supper. "You need help getting the gear assembled for the trip tonight," he asked, setting the large table in the dining room that Sarah had painted and decorated. 

"Sammy told me that Ben needed a medal. He suggested I spend the evening playing his new game and snacking. Said he'd get everything ready. He could probably use your help."

"Probably a good idea since we have no idea how long this case will take," the older male pointed out. "Just promise you two will be safe. I've got a bad feeling about this one."

"I think we all do."

The man paused in his work, looking at Dean. "I was thinking of getting Ben to help with research if he asks to help or seems worried about you. It might let him have something useful to do without getting him too involved. What do you think?"

"I like the idea, but ask Lisa first. She might not want him involved in anything dealing with hunting."

"I will, trust me, but wanted to get your say so on it first," Bobby said. "No sense in pissing off both parents if I can help it."

Dean laughed. "Thanks, Bobby."

He nodded, then headed to the door when he heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. "They're here," he called back to Dean.

The younger man followed the older hunter into the large living area towards the front door. They waited out front so they could help unload the vehicle.

Sam got out of the van, shaking his head and looking exhausted. "We could definitely use the help here."  
Dean stared at the large number of bags. He stared at his wife. "We could have had these delivered, Lisa"

"Not for the price they wanted," she reminded him, sending Sarah in with a few small bags and an order to get off of her feet. "The furniture for the nursery is being delivered, but the other stores wanted almost fifty percent of the cost of what we bought to deliver this. We won't get to shop for the baby very often so better to stock up on things now to get her comfortable. Plus maternity clothing."

Dean's eyes were wide and he looked at his brother, a question in his eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. They wouldn't hear otherwise, and Sarah was getting stressed out," he replied, sounding a bit frustrated before taking some of the bags from Ben as the boy was trying to overload himself.

Dean shook his head and grabbed two armloads worth of bags.

Sam grabbed a heaping load too and followed Lisa into the house. He set the bags into the family room and went back outside, Ben on his heels.

Dean followed the other Winchesters outside.

It took several loads before the van was empty and by that time, dinner was on the table thanks to Bobby.

Dean stood in the kitchen looking at the mountain of bags and furniture in the family room. "Where the hell are we going to put all this?”

"Sarah finished painting the nursery," Lisa said. "When the deliverers bring the furniture, they'll assemble it since that's part of the charge."

“So the high chair, playpen, and stuff isn't furniture?"

"Playpen will be folded up until it can be used," Lisa said. "There's a spare closet in their wing. High chair goes in the dining room, and the other items aren't furniture but decorating things as well as clothing. Dean, it's all fine."

"It is? Will we need all that when we have another kid?"

"Not unless Sarah ends up having twins or she and I get pregnant at the same time," Lisa deadpanned, sitting down at the table.

The hunter stared at his wife's face. "Lis? Are you pregnant?"

"Nope," she answered. "We'll talk about that once you get back from this hunting trip. Now sit down and eat, love."

Dean sat down unsure of how the answer made him feel. What did he and Lisa need to talk about when he gets back?

Sam laughed, passing him a plate of pulled pork to serve himself from. "Meaning she wants a baby, goof, but she knows now isn't the right time for it."

"I want a baby, Sammy. What time is ever right?"

"I want one too, Dean Winchester, but I know this case could take a while and I need to focus on Sarah while you're gone," she told him.

"Okay."

Dean took a bite of the pulled pork and looked across at his son. "Ben, you want to play that new game for a while tonight"

The boy looked up and gave him a grin. "I'd like that."

Dean nodded, "Okay. Great. After I clean up the kitchen and do the dishes."

"Thanks," he beamed, then went back to eating his meal.

Dean grew quiet and listened to the conversation going on around him. The girls were discussing all the clothes that were purchased.

The meal was enjoyed with playful discussion, all of them focusing on the family instead of the upcoming arrival of the genius members of the family as well as the impending departure of some of the members. It was a good night, all of them retiring later than normal despite the early hour all of them would wake the next day.


	2. Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors’ Note – Thank you all for those who have read, reviewed, and/or left kudos for this story. Here’s the next chapter, and we hope you will enjoy it.
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Supernatural” or “Death Note” nor do we make money from this story.

Dean had awakened early, fixed himself some breakfast and drove the large vehicle to work. He spent the morning taking care of body work on a wrecked vehicle. He stopped at 11:45 to shower and lock up the shop. He walked to the stretch vehicle and headed towards the airstrip.

The plane landed smoothly, coming to a stop, and the first to emerge was Watari and Mello. The blond had grown a bit since he'd last been at the house a few months ago. He spotted Dean and waved, heading over.

Dean strolled towards the two men and watched the jet to see if the others were there.

Matt disembarked next, not looking up from his handheld gaming device and managing to navigate the steps easily. The goggles had been changed to tinted glasses, but he was still very much a teen. Seconds later, Near and L emerged to descend the steps and head towards the hunter.

Dean stopped for a minute to hug Watari and Mello and tell them to get into the vehicle. He'd left the air conditioner running to help keep the car cool. He walked towards the other three and handed an umbrella to Near.

Near took the umbrella, making sure to stay under it as he headed to the car. L looked to the man and gave a nod. "Watari informed me that you would be interested in helping us with this case."

"Yeah. It sounds like it might possibly be our kind of work. If not, we can do our footwork for you and the boys."

"I'll explain everything once we are at the house," the detective commented, gray eyes looking around to see his heirs were already in the vehicle.

"It's hot out here, L. I have some cold bottled water in the vehicle. You have to remain hydrated and water's the best. Dinner should be delivered by the time we get home." Dean walked in step with the detective and spoke softly, "By the way, it's good to have you guys home."

"It is good to be home," L commented, getting into the vehicle once they got to it. 

Dean put the stretch limo in gear and drove towards the road that led from the strip to the highway. It was quiet in the large limo, and he figured the trip had to have been exhausting so he remained silent.

Watari, who was in the front seat with him, looked tired and worried. It was obvious the man had a lot on his mind; the case was one that could potentially have serious consequences for his wards.

Dean's training helped him stay calm. He felt the same worry, and the Winchester stubbornness was determined not to let it show and cause more worry for everyone.

"So how is everyone doing," the older male asked, looking over at Dean.

The older Winchester looked over at the man next to him and gave a slight smile.

"We're doing all right. Keeping busy. Sarah's pregnant and they all went to the city and I think they pillaged all the stores." Dean grinned at that.

Watari laughed at that. "I'm certain Sam enjoyed that," he commented with a bright smile.

The younger man laughed and answered, “Don't ask him. He was absolutely exhausted. Both physically and mentally. I felt sorry for him."

"It's not always an enjoyable task," he said quietly as they drove. "He'll get used to the exhaustion in time, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Probably when the baby's twenty-one or there about."

"Probably older," he said, giving a fond smile at the moment.

Dean grinned as he watched the road in front of him. He sighed, "You okay, Sir?"

"I am but very concerned over this case," he said softly. "This is the first big one where the supernatural is concerned, and whoever is doing this is smart."

Dean listened intently. He looked over at the older man. "You know I'll lay my life on the line to protect all of you?"

"Not at the cost of your own," he warned.

Dean sighed, knowing it would be useless to argue with the older man who knew him so well.

He gave him a look, warning him they'd be discussing this later once they had some privacy. The older gentleman was not pleased with the thought that the son of his heart was still thinking that his life had lesser value than the lives of others.

The hunter nodded, knowing a lecture would be forthcoming.

The elder was quiet until they pulled up to the house, and he got out to let his wayward charges out of the car. Mello and Matt hurried in to bug Ben, who they had gotten close to since meeting. Near climbed out of the car, moving to the shade of the porch to keep from getting burned.

Dean walked over to Near and asked him if he was all right and let him towards the entrance.

"Near is fine," he said quietly. "Near is pleased to be back again. How is Dean?"

"I'm doing fine, Near. It's good to have all of you back. I've missed you."

"Near has missed Dean as well," he answered, walking into the house with him.

"Hey, everyone! We're here. Did lunch arrive yet? If not, it will give the guys a chance to freshen up."

"They called; it's about ten minutes away," Sarah chirped from her place on the sofa.

"Thanks Sarah." Dean turned towards Watari, L, and the boys. "Looks like you got a few minutes to freshen up and drop your gear in your rooms and stuff."

Everyone nodded before disappearing to take care of that particular issue.

The older hunter walked into the main kitchen to find the two girls setting the table and asked where Bobby and Sam were. Ben had gone off with Mello and Matt. He figured the guys were upstairs in the nursery. "Hey, Sarah, did the furniture arrive and get put together?"

"They got it together and put into the perfect spot," she answered. "Unless something happens, I won't have to worry about anything else for the baby."

"That's great. Did they do an ultrasound yesterday at the doctor's or is it too early to know?"

"We heard the heartbeat," she said, giving him a smile. "Too early yet for gender."

Sarah's brother-in-law grinned and nodded. They heard a knock at the door and the hunter went to answer it.

The boy with the delivery grinned when Dean answered the door. "Hola, Mister Dean," he beamed. "I have your lunch for you."

Dean grinned back and thanked the boy. He reached into his wallet and paid cash for the food. He added a twenty to the tab for the boy. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome, Mister Dean," he said, putting the money away carefully. "You enjoy the food, ok?"

"Knowing your mama's cooking, I know I will. Tell her I said hi.”

"I will, Mister Dean," he told him. "Mami said to tell Miss Sarah she loved the painting for the inn. She put it in a good spot!"

"I'll let her know." Dean watched the boy walk towards his truck and drive off. He closed the door and walked into the kitchen. "Sarah, your painting is loved and hanging in a good spot at the Bluebird Inn."

"Oh that is good news," she beamed, grabbing the box and setting the food out. "Ring the bell, Dean?" The bell alerted everyone in the house that a meeting was needed or food was ready.

Dean walked towards the living area and rang the large bell. It was large enough to be heard throughout the building.

Within moments, the family headed downstairs. Mello and Matt were discussing the game they'd brought as a present for Ben. The younger lad was eagerly replying with what he thought on it.

Sam and Bobby came downstairs from the nursery where they were putting away items purchased the day before. Sarah had given implicit instructions as to how she wanted everything. Watari and L were the last to enter.

Within a few moments, the family was seated around the table and Watari began passing the food around for all of them to take.

The family had an enjoyable meal as they visited, making up for the time they were separated. 

Once the meal was done and dishes cleared, Sarah and Lisa took Ben upstairs and left the geniuses with the two hunters. After they were alone, L looked at the brothers. "I do have a job to offer you, but I will not be angry if you should decide not to join us on it."

Dean looked at his brother and said, "We're listening."

"There has been a series of deaths, heart attacks that have occurred in prisons" L began. "I am nearly 100 percent certain this is the act of a serial killer."

The two brothers remained quiet, giving the detective time to explain what was happening and what would be required of them.

"There is no way a group could engineer this so perfectly," the older detective began, then shared what he and the others had uncovered. "I'm nearly certain as well that Japan is the home of this Kira."

Dean spoke up, “What exactly is a Kira? I want to understand completely what we’re up against."

"It's what they've named the killer," Matt said with a twisted expression on his face. "Guy has websites dedicated to him already, and the forums are nearly crashing with how busy the sites are."

"That's so wrong," the older brother muttered as he looked at Sam. The two men stared at each other, both knowing what they would do. Dean turned back to L and asked, "What do you need us to do?"

"The plan is to leave Matt here to assist Bobby with the research," L began. "Near will assist in Japan with processing their notes and any data we receive regarding the case from you and the police. I want the three of you, Mello included, to canvas where I send you to try to find out any information that the police won't dare to look in order to find it. If this is supernatural, then I want it ended," he said flatly. "The human behind it needs to be brought to justice."

"Okay. We'll need good cover. Something won't be questioned in any country. For what I'm gathering this is becoming international?"

"I am expecting the ICPO to contact me any day," he answered. "It has gone international, but I can give the three of you sufficient cover to ensure you won't draw attention. Also, I will need someone to brainstorm ideas of planning against Kira as my experiences with the supernatural are limited."

"Okay. We know we have to find who is doing this. Something just as important is how they are doing it and what will destroy the thing they are using."

"Exactly," he said to him. "Mello will aid you since he is the strongest fighter, especially with the training you two have given my heirs. He'll be able to blend in with the younger crowd if need be."

“So far all the heart attacks have been in prisons?”

"That we know of," Matt replied. "Once I'm settled into the library here, I'll be able to start doing some heavier digging while scanning through the books for an idea of what's causing this."

Sam was looking through the folder L had brought and looked up from his reading and asked, "Has anyone checked the family of the police departments involved in the arrests and imprisonment of the victims?”

"That is the next step," Near answered. "Though there is no evidence as to the involvement of the police or families of police. Given the issue that the location of Kira has not been ascertained, it would be unwise to do background checks on them until we know what area to search. The deaths have been spread across the globe."

Sam responded, "This does look like a supernatural serial killer, but his favorite victim is a criminal. He's got to know about them and since it's global, it would have to come from a computer that can reach either police departments or higher up on the law enforcement groups"

"Maybe not," Mello replied. "These people were announced on all kinds of news media. Anyone could have seen or read about these criminals and did this."

“You also can’t rule out someone with hacking skills either to get information from police servers around the world,” Matt interjected.

Dean had been listening to the conversation. "My question is how in the hell is this killer getting to the prisoners? Aren't they in some kind lockdown? Whose letting them get close enough to give some kind of drug to cause a heart attack?"

"Which is why I believe it is supernatural because a group of people would not be able to time this so perfectly or be able to reach the ones in solitary confinement," L replied.

Dean was quiet, thinking over the enormity of the case ahead of them. He looked at his brother for a long moment, and Sam nodded. 

The older Winchester spoke softly, his voice barely audible as he addressed the group. "Do you realize how deadly this is going to be? You and the boys have to stay behind the scenes. Except for Mello who is going to work the case."

"That has already been planned," L told the man. "I will not allow any of my team to come to harm if at all possible."

Sam looked at his brother, "We in agreement, Dean?"

The older Winchester nodded and looked the Detective, making eye contact. "We're your eyes and feet in this, but Mello is going to have to guide us. It's going to be different for us since the crimes take place in other countries."

"Easy, we're going to be tourists while you two look for a new location for your business," Mello said. "L has our cover stories built from the ground up so we will pass muster easily."

"Sounds good. I guess Near will send us to those we need to question?"

"Once we find the correct location," L said. "I had a plan but had to refine it once my heirs discovered what it was I had intended to do."

"That scares me. What were you intending to do?

L shared his plan about the televised event and how he had planned to confront Kira to push his limits.

"What makes you think this Kira won't use the same thing on you to prevent being identified?"

"That was what we pointed out," Matt said. "So we've revised the plan and there will be a bit of confrontation to test Kira's limits but there won't be any grand reveal. If this person is as good as Near profiled, then we have to play our cards close to our vests."

"That makes more sense. Just lead the way and tell us where you want us and who to talk to.”

"I shall do so," L replied. "We should be departing for Japan tomorrow, and we'll be in our hotels during the time the ICPO contacts me."

Watari handed out two envelopes that were heavy. "Wallets with ID, credit cards, and the like are in there. You will be masquerading as car designers, not far from your comfort zone. Your names will be Jonathan and Thomas Wilmington, single but sharing joint custody of your nephew, Adrian Wilmington."

Dean held the envelope and took a deep breath. "Okay. We're definitely in."

Mello gave him an impish grin. "Hi Uncle Tom," he said, then laughed. "I'll try not to be an ass."

"That'll be a miracle," Matt muttered not too quietly, ducking when his friend swatted at him.

Dean grinned, turned to his brother and said, "Hi, Jonny."

"Smart ass," Sam quipped. "Might as well get used to it. Won't it look strange us being on the same flight as you guys?"

"We will make a stop in Denver for fuel and you will have a charter jet to take you the rest of the way," Watari confirmed. "There are new mobiles and the confirmation for your hotel is in the envelope. New computers with all the details you'll need for your cover has been packed along with the appropriate wardrobe."

"Okay," Dean responded. "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Eight," L confirmed. "Enough time to rest, eat, and allow you to spend a bit of time with your loved ones."

"Sounds good. I promised Ben some Father Son time, so I'll see guys later.”

“I need to prep weapons,” Sam said with a smile.

"We'll have to be careful on that," Watari said. "Guns are not exactly welcome in Japan."

"OooKayyyy," drawled the older Winchester. "What exactly are we supposed to use, then"?

"You'll have weapons but creatively," L said. "Watari will explain in the morning."

Sam was surprised at his brother's response.

Watari smiled. "Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

"All right. I'm accepting this because I've already trusted you with my life."

"You will not be sorry for it either," the elderly gentleman said. "Now spend time with Ben since you promised him."

"Yes, Sir," Dean replied and rose and headed towards the main room. He was heard to mumble, "I haven't been sorry yet."

Watari simply smiled and soon, the group dispersed to do their own thing until time to leave the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors’ End Note – We hope everyone enjoyed this; please let us know what you think of the chapter. See you next chapter!


	3. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note – We hope everyone enjoys this next installment. I do ask for pardon if we make any mistakes regarding the culture and food of Japan. I’m doing my research online since I don’t have full access to the library so any mistakes are honest ones. Any mistakes regarding religion is due to poor memory recall and insufficient research sites that held the right data we were looking for as well as being sick with some kind of bug while writing this. Tisha is pretty much spending her time laughing at me since my voice has gone bye-bye!
> 
> Also, regarding the observation about Mello’s faith, someone I was acquainted with was a practicing Catholic and did some research about the rosary Mello wears. She was obsessed with the character and discovered that the rosary is unique to those of the Russian Orthodox Catholics so I went ahead and used that here.
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Supernatural” or “Death Note.” We certainly don’t make money from this story!

The trip to Japan had been relatively smooth, and Mello was rather pleased with everything so far. Dean, much to the blond's surprise, was very much phobic about flying so he'd handed over the small game system L had given him for his birthday. The game was a puzzle kind, and it had worked to distract his pseudo-uncle. He sighed after they got off the charter plane, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. 

Customs had taken a bit, but Matt and L had managed to ensure they'd gotten through without problems. "Okay, food first or hotel," he asked the brothers.

Dean looked at his brother and nodded to him. Sam realized just how much the extended flight had overwhelmed the man. He looked at Mello, "How about the hotel first and we order in?"

The older brother smiled and nodded in agreement.

"It'll give me a chance to practice my Japanese," he said with a small grin, slipping into the role of an overly smart teenager who tended to be shy around strangers. Near and Dean had crafted his persona to use in Japan while undercover. His usual exuberance would be too easily remembered. 

The three males walked towards the exit with an attendant carrying their luggage. They reached the entrance to the airport and both men looked at Mello, a question in their eyes.

"Taxi time," he said, adjusting his backpack and leading them towards where the vehicles waited. He gave a small bow to a driver and asked if the man would be willing to take them to their hotel. The words were a bit stilted as if the speaker was unfamiliar with the language. Truth was, he, L, Matt, and Near spoke it and several others fluently but it was for the cover. After a few moments, he turned to his uncles. "He's willing to drive us to the hotel."

"Let's go then," Dean replied. He turned to grab their luggage but stopped when both the attendant and the taxi driver argued over who was handling the suitcases and suit bags. He looked at his brother and shrugged.

Mello took a step back, letting the two adults enter first. One thing was universal in Asian countries and that was showing respect to the elders of the family. "Just let him handle it, Uncle Tom."

"Not a problem. Do I tip the attendant?"

"Gratuities are always accepted," he said. "From the drivers to the porters who handle our luggage from the lobbies to the hotel room.

Dean reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a wallet. Half the money was in U.S. currency and the remainder in Japanese currency.

"Exactly how much are these bills worth? What do I give the attendant?"

Mello smiled, showing him the correct amount for the tip. "I'll help you figure out the tab once we reach the hotel. My teacher will be thrilled at my getting to work with the money."

"I'm grateful for your teacher, Aidan. Thanks for your help." 

Dean pulled out two bills and handed them to the attendant and climbed into the back seat. Sam looked in the back and muttered that he wouldn't fit and climbed into the front seat.

"You're welcome," he said, getting into the car after the two grown ups had. His cell chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the text. "Noah says hi; he and his brother made it to their hotel in San Augustine. I'm supposed to bring back souvenirs," he said, texting Near back. Noah was the cover for Mello to use for keeping in touch with L via the white haired teen.

Sam turned around and looked at Mello. "Tell Noah, that Tom and John say hey. Is there anything they'd like that we can look for?"

Mello laughed a bit. "Not repeatable in mixed company," he said, shaking his head. Damn, he was going to strangle Near for putting that image into his head now.

Sam nodded and turned back towards the front. 

By the time they reached the hotel, Dean had his fingers of his hand almost embedded into the back of the driver's seat.

The blond shook his head; it would've been better to let Matt drive. If they could swing it, they'd be using public transport instead of cabs from now on. He got out once the door was opened by a hotel employee and leaned in, whispering just how much to give to the driver.

The older hunter was shaking as he reached to get his wallet out and pay the driver. He tried to smile but his teeth were gritted so badly he looked almost as if he was grimacing. Turning, he followed his family into the hotel.

"We'll stay with public transport after this if we can," he promised, leading them to the check-in and helping where needed. Fortunately, the concierge was fluent in English.

Sam heard his brother murmur, "Thank God." He grinned and turned to the concierge and gave their names, asking what identification was needed.

"The legal identification can be passports or driver's license," the woman stated in softly accented English. "This is your first time in Japan?"

Sam reached into his wallet and pulled out his driver's license and passport just to be thorough. He smiled at the woman and answered, "Yes, it is. Do you need theirs also?"

"Either yours or Wilmington Thomas-san's will do," she said with a smile. "Your reservation was confirmed, and your suite is waiting for you. I do need to see a credit card please."

Dean had already pulled out a credit card in Thomas' name and handed it to the woman. 

She took it, running it and then handing them the slip to sign. "We have kitchens for room service," she stated, handing Sam a brochure of all the amenities the hotel provided and times they were available. "There is also a list of restaurants with delivery should you require something after kitchen hours."

Sam smiled softly and thanked the woman, handing the receipt to Dean. "We appreciate that very much. Thank you." The three turned, looking for the elevators.

"You are welcome. The porter, Yukimura-san, shall escort you to your suite," she said, gesturing for the man to approach.

"Follow me, please," Yukimura stated, luggage in hand.

The three males followed the man to the ninth floor of the massive complex. They entered the suite and Dean exclaimed, "Damn!"

Mello smiled, quietly asking Dean for his wallet so he could tip the porter. "This is very nice," he stated, glad Watari had found them something comfortable. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to hotel swap like L and the others would. So far, Matt had the better assignment since he'd be getting home cooking while working with Bobby.

Dean walked through the massive living room and started opening doors. All three bedrooms were the same. They held king-size beds and a large dresser. There was a desk with a padded chair on rollers for doing computer work. He began to unpack.

Sam turned to Mello, "Order us a decent meal. No fried food and stuff. Dean wouldn't eat on the plane.

Mello handed him two small devices. "Place these somewhere where they won't be noticed. They'll activate when your cells are in the room and nothing can be overheard. I'll place one in my room and in here in a few moments." He frowned over the menu, thinking about what to order before placing the call.

Sam walked into the Dean's room and placed the device in a dresser drawer beneath his underwear. Dean was in the walk-in closet, hanging up the two suits he had.

Once the order was placed, the blond installed the two devices in both his room and living room before tugging his computer out of his bag as well as the wifi device Matt had given him before leaving the US. He booted up the computer, logging into his profile as well as the secure server L and his heirs used. Mello checked his email, frowning as he read through the reports.

Dean took a shower and put on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. They were not supposed to go anywhere until they had updates and orders. He entered the living room.

The teen gave an absent wave. "Ryuuzaki has been busy," he stated in an oddly unfocused tone as he read through the emails.

"Anything for us or do we play tourists and check out where the car expo is running?

"Resting today since it's possible we'll be suffering from jet lag," he stated, looking up from the computer. "He's dealing with the ICPO tomorrow afternoon so we'll have more instructions then. Right now, best to use tomorrow to get to learn how the public transportation system works and get to know some of the area. It probably wouldn't hurt to see the expo as well for our cover."

Dean nodded. "Are we going out to eat? Or are we staying in?"

"I ordered in," he said, getting up to answer the door. Mello bowed, giving a tip to the server before bringing the dishes into the living room. "Uncle Jonny, supper is here."

Sam entered the room and the three males put the dishes on the table near the kitchenette.

"What are we having?" Dean reached for a cover.

"I went light for the meal," he said quietly. "I figure we can get a bit more adventurous for food during our stay here. Miso soup," he began, pointing at the three bowls. "Followed with yakitori, which is grilled chicken and vegetables on skewers. I ordered rice to accompany it."

Dean took a light sniff of the meal, savoring the aroma. "It looks good, Aidan. You did a good job."

Sam grinned, "Great choice."

"Thanks," he said with a grin. "We have to try sushi sometime while we're here as well as traditional ramen."

"Sushi?" Dean looked across at his brother. "Sushi? As in raw fish, raw eel, and raw squid and octopus?"

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Mello said, sipping at his soup. "It's rather tasty."

"It's raw." Dean tasted the soup and smiled. "Now this is good."

The blond grinned. "Easy and simple to eat. Uncle Jonny was worried your stomach might not handle anything too rich right now."

"Thanks, Jonny," Dean spoke softly. He took a bite of the chicken with some rice. "Hmmm."

Mello sipped at his tea, blinking for a moment. "I know you two cut back on drinking, but I need to warn you. Japanese alcohol is a lot more potent than what you're used to so you'll want to abstain when you can."

"Not a problem. I haven't had more to drink then a beer with certain meals or when I'm working in the cactus garden. Sometimes when we barbecue. We might have a glass of wine when we dine out some place nice. It's usually iced tea.

"They drink a lot of hot tea here," he said. "There are other drinks I'll introduce you to later you might like."

"Okay. Do they offer ice? I could pour hot tea over it."

Sam grinned and winked at Mello.

The blond laughed. "Green tea over ice? That's a first. I've heard of green tea ice cream."

"All right. They only serve green tea? "Okay. Bottled water then."

"Not only," he said, finishing his soup and moving to the chicken, vegetables and rice. He pulled the meat and veg off of the skewers, picking up his chopsticks to eat. "Reminds me, I want to pick up some ramune while we're out tomorrow."

"What's that?"

"It's a drink, Tom," Sam replied.

"Their original version of pop," he answered. "Very delicious."

"Well, I'm game to try it," Dean answered, taking a bite of the vegetables

"This is good," he said, enjoying his food and then checking his message. "Hmm, home front is secure but no luck on the research project Morgan brought home to Uncle Bobby."

"I was so hoping for better news," Dean took another bite and had a sip of the green tea.

"Takes time," he commented. "It's a big homework project."

"That's true," Sam answered.

Mello finished eating, leaning back in his seat. "I know the expo is after lunch but what time does it start?"

Dean thought a minute. "Texan or Asian time?"

"Your cell clock is running on Asian time, uncle," he said. "I reset your watches before we landed.

Dean got up and walked into his room. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder. Closing the case, he went back into the main room. Sitting down, he opened the folder. "It starts about eight o'clock tonight. There's opening ceremonies for some reason. The exhibits will open in the morning at 10.

"For some reason, I thought it started tomorrow after noon," Mello commented. "From what you two were saying, I guess we all thought that. Do we want to go to the opening or just hit it tomorrow?"

"I would just rather wait until tomorrow afternoon. There are no lectures or discussion groups until then. We can view the exhibits later in the day, also."

The lectures were important for their cover so Mello understood that. "I might check out what's local for the area so I can find something to do." He would be around the adults for part of the time at the exhibition but leave to do some local snooping around areas where kids were. Sometimes, the oddest clues could be found when listening to teenagers gossip.

Sam looked at the two of them. "I'd like to see a Shinto shrine while we're in Japan. I'm told they are very beautiful."

"There's quite a few around so I know we can see some," he answered. "My teacher spoke of them so getting to visit them would be good." Mello knew of the religion but didn't practice; he was a semi-practicing Russian Orthodox Catholic when he was in the right mindset. 

Dean just stared at his brother, eyes wide, and mouth slightly open. He shook his head and took the last bite of his meal.

"Is there a reason?"

"Shinto practices affect a lot of the way life is lived in Japan," the blond answered. "It's got a lot of interesting stories that surround it and the history of the country.

"Tom, you know as well as I do that there's a lot of evil in Japan. Demons, monsters, and things we've never fought. The religion that fights them is something we should understand. It never hurts to know the truth. It doesn't matter whose truth it is. I just want to learn about it and understand it. You have your cars. I'm interested in this stuff."

Mello tilted his head for a moment, eyes thoughtful. "It's strange how much is real and isn’t when you've only read about them. Shinto isn't about fighting them all the time, Uncle Jonny. They learn to live alongside them because they are part of nature. It's about balance."

"That's scary, Aiden," Tom interjected.

"Not really, the Native Americans did as well. There are quite a few cultures that developed a working rapport with the supernatural," the teenager told him.

The Native Americans used sigils to keep the evil away, Tom," Jonny added.

"They had a lot of spells to fight it, too."

"Shinto have their own ways of handling it too," he answered. "But they accepted the presence and didn't go looking to fight unless necessary."

"All right. I guess whatever works for you," Tom replied.

"It works for them," he bantered.

"Yeah, but I was never taught that."

Sam stared at this brother, "It never hurts to learn something new, Dean."

"Most in Europe and US don't see it in the ways others do," Mello stated.

"Well, a lot in my life has changed, so I'm willing to be open to this. I may embarrass you. I'm not taught in this. If it becomes a part of what we do, you'll have to teach me."

"Ignorance isn't embarassing," the blond quoted. "Stupidity is because it shows an unwillingness to learn. Noah's big brother said that." Yup, it was an L quote.

Dean smiled softly, "Sounds like him," he whispered quietly. Sam winked at Mello. 

He laughed and nodded. "Ok, so how about I load up a movie on my laptop and we just take it easy. Tomorrow, we'll play tourist until the expo opens?"

"Sounds good," Dean answered. Sam nodded. 

"Any requests for the movie," he asked, stacking the dishes on the tray.

"Porky's Two?" Dean asked.

"Hell no," Sam answered

He snickered, watching them bicker for a few moments before making his own suggestion. "How about Battleship?"

"I haven't seen that one. Is it good?"

"Yeah, Dean," Sam replied. "It is."

"Freakin' awesome! Noah even watched it, and you know how he is about non-fantasy movies," he answered.

"He did?" Sam asked.

"Wow!" Dean exclaimed

"I'll load it while you two get comfy," he said, putting the dishes outside of the door to be collected by hotel staff.

"Sounds good," Sam responded. 

"Ya'll want to stretch out on my bed and watch it? Be more comfortable," Dean asked.

"I'll move it in there after I change," he said, heading to his room.

The two brothers headed to Dean's room. 

Mello hurried to change, anxious to relax before resting. The next day or so would be busy with getting their covers going and learning the area until L officially had projects for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s End Note – We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please forgive any errors made and let us know what you think! ~ Laran and Tisha


	4. Investigating for Mr. Coil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note – Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing on our story. We are very much excited to work on this whenever my writing schedule and health allow. Tisha has been the driving force for the most part. If mistakes are made regarding culture, etc, please forgive me. Researching while ill is not always fun, and my memory can be crappy at the best of times, lol. So please enjoy this next installment. We decided to add a small case so Dean and Sam get to experience Mello’s world a bit!
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Death Note” or “Supernatural.” We don’t earn money from this story either.

Mello was up and working on the laptop by the time Sam and Dean had woken up. There was a cold cup of tea at his elbow and a half-eaten bar of chocolate beside him too. His eyes were focused on the screen with a look of deep concentration, fingers moving rapidly over the keyboard. It was obvious he'd been up for a while.

Dean entered the living room in jeans and a tee shirt, barefooted, his wet hair flying everywhere.

"Not on the laptop please," he muttered absent mindedly.

"Not near the laptop. Do they have a coffee maker up here or do I need to call for a pot?"

"Kitchen, can't stand the stuff myself," he said. "Makings for tea in there too. Uncle Jonny up yet?"

"I don't know. Probably already up. I heard him call the concierge late last night asking about a gym with a track."

Dean walked into the kitchen and began to look for coffee.

"I've been up since about 4:30 and haven't seen him," he said, rubbing his face with a hand before glaring at the screen. "Damn it, damn it."

Dean set down the pot and hurried back into the living area. He suddenly looked alert.

"What is it?"

"Assignment sent from home," he grumbled. "Ryuzaki has several names and often sends assignments when his plate is too full. This one will be interesting...I can't go explore like I wanted to. Seems I need to snoop at the expo today."

"For what? Or should I say who?"

He looked, blowing blond hair out of his face. "Seems there's been an inconsistency at St. Martin Motoring Corporation," he said, speaking of a small company that catered to the wealthy for high speed cars. Dean and Sam, knowing vehicles, would know of the company. "There is suspicion of either espionage or theft.

"Are they the one's needing help or being investigated?"

"The owner, Alton St. Martin called and reported his suspicions," he answered, leaning back against the couch. "He suspects someone is sabotaging his newest model and wants proof. There was mention of some of his designs being leaked. I sent the information on the latest model to your email so you can see what to look for. It's going to be one of the fastest on the market if it's not been set up to fail."

"Wish I could get under the hood and see the schematics and stuff. I might notice something."

Mello grinned. "Schematics are in your email along with an invitation for you and Uncle Jonny to inspect the vehicle. Good chance to push your cover some as well as help find out if there's truth to this. Feel up to playing detective today? Shouldn't take too long."

"We should do it this morning before the crowds arrive in the afternoon. Give me a chance to go over it before we get interrupted by curiosity?"

"Use the log on Martin gave you," he said, knowing Matt had gotten Dean and Sam email accounts on a section of Whammy's server. "Everything will be there. I'll order breakfast if you want to wake Uncle Jonny up before researching."

"Sounds good." Dean headed towards his brother's room. He woke up Sam and told him what was going on. "You game for a little detective work?"

Mello ordered food, going to his room to shower and change while the two talked.

Sam rubbed his face. "Detective work?"

"Yeah, go get your shower. Mello's ordered breakfast. Then I'll bring out my computer and you can go over this with me."

"All right," he grumbled, lumbering slowly to the shower and trying to wake up.

Dean went to his room and grabbed his computer. He placed it on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to put on the pot of coffee. It took a few minutes to find the coffee which was hidden behind canister of tea. He grinned and left the coffee on the counter with the coffee maker.

By the time Sam came out of his room, Mello was by the table, setting the last of the food out. "Ready?

"Yeah, let me get some coffee for us. I've stayed at my one cup a day limit so I hope you have plenty of tea made," Dean teased as he headed back into the kitchenette.

"Yeah, hot water is plentiful," he answered, laughing at Sam's next comment.

"Why are you two not jet-lagged? Not fair!"

"Is that what they call it? I usually like a hot shower in the morning. I'm surprised no one heard me scream. I went full blast cold. They must stock their water tanks with iced water! I'll probably be dragging before the day is out."

Mello snickered. "You must've misread it, uncle," he said. "I ordered American for breakfast. I'm not sure you two are ready to face a traditional Japanese one."

"Sounds good. What exactly is in a traditional Japanese one?

"Steamed rice, broiled fish, rolled egg omelet, miso soup, natto, and a few other condiments, he answered, serving himself some pancakes.

Dean looked a little green. Sam looked bleary eyed but grinned at his brother's reaction. "I don't see a problem for you eating that, Dean. You eat such off the wall stuff when we are on the road"

"I wouldn't touch natto if it was the last thing on earth to eat," he commented, pouring syrup over the pancakes. "None of us likes it...except for grandpa's friend who works with him." How Roger ate that was beyond him. 

Dean reached for some sausage and pancakes. He poured syrup on them and took a bite. 

Sam, always being curious, asked what natto was.

"Fermented soy beans."

Dean stopped chewing. He swallowed and asked, "Fermented like alcohol? Or fermented like kimchi? Rotten?"

"No, it's cooked and then fermented with a healthy bacteria - Bacillus subtilis. The fermentation process makes natto something very nutritious and high in protein. Problem is, it has a strong smell but the fermentation really screwed up the texture. Noah and his brother won't touch it because of the smell; Martin and I can't handle the way it looks."

Sam looked over at his brother and saw him shrug his shoulders and take another bite. Dean looked over at the other man and stared, "What?"

"Nothing," Sam responded

The blond broke into laughter, shaking his head. 

Dean stared at him, shrugged again, and took another bite.

Mello finished off his pancakes, grinning as he did so. 

Dean finished his, drank his second cup of tea and headed over to his computer.

Once they were done, Mello stacked the dishes on the cart and left them outside the door. "Ok, research away. I will let Ryuzaki know we'll work on it."

"Sounds good. Dean picked up his computer and put it on the larger table. Sam sat next him as Dean entered his email.

The smaller male typed up a small brief, sending it to L before leaning back against the couch. 

Dean would find schematics of the new vehicle, everything he would need to determine if there had been sabotage.

After over an hour of going through and rereading, Dean turned off his computer and looked at the others.

"We might as well get dressed for the day. It's already late and this going to take some time."

Mello looked up from what he was doing. "I'm ready so you two get dressed. I've figured out what bus to take unless you want to risk a taxi?

"Hell no! A bus is fine," Dean exclaimed as he headed towards his room. 

"At least we're not in Mexico city," he teased.

"Yeah, I heard about them. This was bad enough." Dean entered his room and found a pair of dark dress slacks, a shite shirt and tie, and a pull over black and burgundy sweater vest. The sweater matched the burgundy of his tie.

While both adults were dressed nicely, Mello looked like the teenager he was. He was dressed in a nice pair of jeans, a Hobbit t-shirt on, and sunglasses tucked into the neckline.

"Man! You look whole lot more comfortable than I look," Dean grumbled. Sam had on a pair of gray slacks, and a light silver pullover shirt with a vee shaped neckline.

"I'm the kid, not expected to be high end businessmen," he answered, grabbing a light jacket. "Besides, I can snoop easier while you two tear into the car."

"Yeah. I know how good you are that."

He stuck his tongue out playfully at him. "Right, ready?

"Yeah Will they have tools and diagnostic stuff there? I didn't think I'd need anything like that when I packed back home.

"They should," Mello said as they exited the suite. "You’re going in as a potential partner." That had been the cover set up by the owner and Ryuzaki.

"Well, that wasn't in the paper work so this is real new as in not even my email new?"

He showed the message he'd just received from the owner. "Ryuzaki is sending your copy to yours and Uncle Jonny's phones."

"Okay. Well, this will certainly pave the way. Let's go find that bus," Dean headed towards the door.

Once they reached the lobby doors, Mello donned the sunglasses and emerged out onto the pavement. He stayed between the two men, something they had discussed on the plane from Texas to Denver. Both of them had wanted to make sure Mello would be all right, despite the fact the teen had a lot of training.

Dean stared at all the crowded streets and large buildings. There were people everywhere. It made him nervous. "How far to the bus stop?"

"A block away," he answered.

"Good. Lot of people here. Makes me nervous."

"This is not as busy as it could be," Mello told him. "Office hours have started already and children are in school."

"Seriously? How do they live with this?"

"They're used to it," he shared. 

"If everyone on this island stood outside at the same time, would anyone be able to move?"

"Probably," he commented. "The smaller towns and villages aren't as crowded. Here we are." 

The three stood in line waiting for the right bus. "Do you know which bus to take?"

"I read over the schedule this morning," Mello answered, grinning when their bus stopped in front of them. He paid for their trip and then took a seat.

Dean sat next to him and Sam right behind.

The trip took about ten minutes, and they exited to stand in front of a modern convention center. "Here we are. You two have your passes?"

Dean pulled his wallet out and took his out of the inner pocket. Sam did the same.

They entered the building, stopping in front of the expo map. Fortunately, it had been laid out in several languages - English being one of them.

"Okay we are looking for the cars, I would think," Sam spoke softly, pointing at a spot on the map.

"St. Martin area," Mello agreed. "Should be there. I'll need to snoop to get any information on who is behind this while you two dig into the newest model."

"Alright," Dean answered as they headed into the automotive section of the expo.

The blond eyed a few things, taking note of security as well as the people around.

Dean looked as if he were staring straight ahead but his eyes were alert to everything that was within his range of vision. Sam played it like a tourist.

Finally, they arrived at the St. Martin area and Mello heaved a sigh. "Ok, guess this means I get to wait," he said, just loud enough for the employees to hear him.

"I'm sorry, Aiden. Why don't you go look around? It's not often we go out of country, if ever. Make some friends," Dean suggested

"Okay, Uncle Tom," he answered, slipping away into the crowd to watch the group in the shadows.

"Thomas and Jonathan Wilmington," a woman asked, voice holding a heavy Welsh accent.

"Yes," they responded in unison.

"I'm Dr. Bronwyn Jones, one of the designers that works for Alton St. Martin," she said, offering her hand. "Mr. St. Martin said you two were to have full access to our newest model."

"It's nice to meet you," Dean responded, holding out is hand. "I'm Thomas and this is my brother, Jonathan. Tell Mr. St. Martin thank you. We'll see what we can find."

She led them to an alcove where the car and the equipment waited. "He's grateful for your aid. I'll be outside the alcove to answer questions on other things with the expo attendees. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Dean replied. He stepped into the alcove and looked the car over. He walked around the beauty, opened the driver's door and sat inside of her. Sam stood quietly, knowing his brother was getting a feel for the car. 

While this was going on, Mello was watching the employees of St. Martin, observing their interactions with the guests and each other.

Dean got out of the car and went over to the diagnostic machines and tools that were left there. He began to dig through the diagnostic equipment. Sam grew curious about what he could be looking for.

The blond frowned, chewing on the chocolate bar he'd gotten from a vending machine. Ok, so far all of them but one had a tablet computer with the company logo on it. For a company as prosperous as St. Martin, that was a bit off.

Dean finally found a special computer with strange access ports. He sighed softly and opened the car door again and laid on his back and went under the dash as best he could. He asked Sam took look in the huge tool kit and get him a flashlight.

The teen decided on a course of action and meandered through the crowd, unobtrusively picking up the tablet when it had been laid down and disappeared again. He ducked into the men's room, going into a stall and took a look at the contents. He'd managed to keep the screen from locking, thankfully, and began to see what evidence he could find.

Dean took the flashlight and removed one computer chip at a time and placed it in the computer and verified the information on the chip was correct. He worked for over an hour, climbed out, cursing softly. He leaned in and opened the hood of the car. He began to go through the computerized areas under the hood. He found two with problems. One did not monitor the gas flow properly. The other would kill the passengers. Everything in the car was computerized. Dean swore as he checked the one that handled the brakes. It was correctly written which meant there would be a brake malfunction at any speed over 60 mph. He worked through the remainder and found one that would lock up the steering column at any speed over 75 mph. He did not put the chips back into the car. He stood up, closed the hood, wiped his hands and placed the three chips in his pocket. He walked over to Dr. Jones and asked to see Mr. St. Martin privately

"He's in a meeting," she stated. "He'll be out in ten minutes if you'll follow me?"

“All right. Jonny, stick around and make sure no one touches the car.”

The engineer began to lead the smaller man to a meeting area, blinking when a blond teenager fell in step beside the man.

Mello gave Dean a surreptitious nod, telling him he'd gotten evidence of the other issues.

Dean nodded back verifying he had some also.

The pair were left in a small office, and Mello dragged his mobile out in readiness. "I'll call once he's here so we can provide the evidence to him and our employer," he murmured softly.

Sounds good. Dean was carrying the special computer and the three chips were in his pocket.

A middle aged man entered the room, looking tired. "You are the representatives of Mr. Coil?"

Mello nodded, shoulders back as he did so. "We are, sir. If you will wait a moment, I will be able to present our findings." He dialed a number and a voice familiar to both Dean and Mello would be heard.

"I am Eraldo Coil, Mr. St. Martin. My agents have the evidence you were seeking. Mr. Wilmington?"

"Yes," Dean replied, opening the computer and carefully placing each chip in the slot. He allowed the owner to compare the differences and explained the damages that would occur and the possible deaths. No one would think to look at the chips which was why he looked there first.

Once that was done, Mello took up his side of the investigation. "You have two employees causing problems, and both are here. Mr. Coil, I sent the evidence to you as well."

"I see it," he answered. "It seems that Dr. ap Rhys and one David Carrington are behind the sabotage. They are trying to steal the original chips and the schematics to a rival company."

The owner growled. "I want them arrested."

"The police are on their way to your company to bring Dr. ap Rhys in," Coil answered. "The Tokyo police are due to arrive to arrest Mr. Carrington. The evidence needs to be given to them."

"As you wish," Mello answered.

"Yes, Sir," Dean responded softly

"Well done, both of you," Coil told them. "Mr. Wilmington junior, take this off speaker phone."

Mello did as ordered, murmuring softly in another language while the police entered the St. Martin area to arrest Carrington. One detective entered the office.

"I am Detective Matsuda and am here to take the evidence."

Dean carefully wrapped the three chips in his handkerchief and handed them, along with the special computer to the detective. He looked to see if Mello had heard what was said.

The blond ended the call, handing him the tablet. "Mr. Coil will also be sending the other evidence you'll need, detective."

Matsuda gave a small bow. "Thank you for your help and cooperation."

Dean nodded his head towards the man. He did not know the proper way to bow and did not wish to offend. He looked down at his hands and could still see some grease on them. Groaning, he thought what a poor example of who he was supposed to be he was making. He did not realize there were a couple of streaks on his face also.

Mello laughed, following him. "Washroom is across the way."

"Thanks," Dean murmured. Mello could hear him cursing when he looked into the mirror.

The blond stayed outside, hiding his laughter as he watched the police leave the building. He could see the area where the car was being locked up so Sam could leave.

The younger brother walked up to him and asked what was so funny. He could see the struggle the teen was having. At that moment, the older hunter exited the bathroom, his face a bright red in areas where he had to use the harsh soap and all but scrub his skin off.

"He had a bit of grease to handle and didn't realize it at first," he commented. "Ok, so we have a bit of time to ourselves."

"Okay, the forums and stuff start this afternoon. What do you guys want to do for a while?" Dean looked at both of them a question in his eyes.

"Uncle Jonny wanted to visit a shrine," he answered.

Dean was still for a moment than nodded and said, "Okay." Sam grinned.

"All right, head out then?"

"Yeah," both men replied.

He grinned back, heading out of the building. "We can catch a quick lunch after we're done."

"Sounds good," Dean responded.

Mello nodded, walking towards the exit with the pair. Once they were outside, he breathed a sigh and slipped his sunglasses on. "Ryuzaki's pleased," he said softly.

The teen and the younger Winchester watched Dean suddenly relax. He breathed out softly. "That's good."

"Four hours until the meeting," he said quietly. "Then things start."

"He'll have orders for us then? Or will it be later down the line?"

Sam nodded at his brother, having wondered the same thing

"He'll alert us to the next step," he said quietly as they walked through the crowds. "At the moment, no one knows he and his team are here. This gives us an advantage to learn things before the case starts. I was skimming forums last night, and I was disgusted by how quickly this person has become so popular."

"That's just sick," Dean whispered back. 

"Agreed," he answered turning at the corner. "Noah couldn't even begin to rationalize it when he started the profile; I won't tell you Martin's thoughts on it."

"Oh, I can imagine. I know them well enough to guess. How about you, Jonny?"

"Knowing Martin, I think I'd agree with him," Sam said, making Mello huff out a breath of air in amusement.

"Is this shrine nearby or are we going to have to ride somewhere?" Dean was thinking the bus stop was behind them and the thought of a cab was almost nauseating.

"Another block," he said, grinning. 

Dean smiled. Sam grinned. 

The group made their way to a beautiful shrine, walking up the steps towards the building.

Sam took out his phone and asked if there would be a problem if he took pictures.

"We'll have to ask one of the priests," Mello said quietly. "It's a sign of disrespect not to do so. Uncle Thomas, we'll want to make a donation before we leave as a gesture of goodwill and gratitude. The tradition started with food but later, went towards money."

Dean handed his wallet to Mello. "Take what you need."

He pulled out a few bills, then handed the wallet back. "There's a shrine maiden now," he said, approaching her with a bow. A few moments later, Mello came back. "There's a few forbidden areas, but you can take pictures. I'll let you know if we're in a location where pictures aren't allowed.""

Sam seemed excited. Dean watched his brother and smiled. 'What the hell,' he thought. It was nice to be able to make his brother smile over something this simple.

"Gardens first," Mello asked.

Dean use his hand to gesture the teen to lead on.

They headed towards one of the gardens, spotting the small houses set out for the kami.

Dean slowly strolled through the area, stopping to inhale the scents that flowed through the garden. Sam was busy taking pictures of everything.

"It's beautiful, isn't it," Mello asked Dean.

"It's beautiful," the older hunter whispered, "What is that scent? It's permeating everything. Can you smell it?"

"Night jasmine, I think. Botany isn't my strong point," Mello admitted.

"I would love to grow some of that in Near's garden." Dean just closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

"It's one of his favorite scents," he shared. "I like it too."

"I wonder how difficult it would be to buy it in the U.S.? The government frowns on bringing plant life from other areas of the world." 

Mello looked up from his phone. "It's available there." He showed Dean the website.

"Fantastic! We definitely need some for that garden then."

He nodded, laughing as Sam took pictures of the koi pond. "He's having fun."

"Yes, he is." Dean spotted a bench near the koi pond and sat down and leaned against the tree it was beside. "Damn! I think the jet lag is catching up with me," he whispered softly, not meaning to be overheard.

"I’m used to not sleeping much," he said, sitting beside him. "Hasn't hit me yet, fortunately. We can take it easy today, if you like? We showed at the expo and will have to be there for a while tomorrow too to keep the cover going."

"I really wanted to go to those forums, but to be honest, I don't think I'd remember anything. After Sam has his fill here, let's go back to the hotel and just vegetate for the day?"

"They will be recording the forums; I can order a copy so you can watch them at your leisure later," he suggested.

"Thank you. Don't let Sam know I'm dragging. I want him to take his time here. We can even stop and eat if you guys want to. I will probably take a nap when we get back," the older Winchester responded quietly.

"Sounds good," Mello answered, typing something into his phone. "Ordered."

"Fantastic," Dean replied. "Let's go look around some more. Sam's heading out of the garden. I don't want us separated if we don't have to be."

"Good idea," he said, getting up and helping dean up. "Come on, uncle."

Dean looked up at the teen, "Do I look that feeble?" he asked, grabbing Mello's hand.

"Nope, just tired," he said, helping him up.

"Well, that won't sit well with Sammy. Better perk up so he can see all of this place.

"You don't have to hide it," he said. "That'll upset him."

"Okay," Dean sighed softly. "Let's hope he doesn't notice."

Mello followed Sam as they headed into a courtyard area. 

"Where next, Jonny?" Dean asked.

The blond waited, chuckling as he watched Sam.

Sam smiled, "How about the main shrine?"

"You'll have to put the phone away," Mello reminded him.

Sam pocketed his cell and they followed Mello into the shrine.

They entered an area that was beautiful yet simple. Mello stayed respectful, allowing those here to worship their privacy while admiring the room.

Dean stood near the back, remaining still. His eyes darting in every direction, the older man took in the simplicity of the room.

The incense used was not overpowering, mingling beautifully with the scents from the gardens outside. It was peaceful, a symphony of harmony as it had been designed to be.

Dean finally leaned back against the wall and watched his brother. He yawned softly, covering his mouth. He saw a door off to the left. Needing to keep moving, he walked towards it.

The blond stopped him before he could move. "That's forbidden to the public," he murmured. "Only the priests or shrine maidens can go back there."

"Okay, I'm going to go back out to the gardens. I need the breeze. Don't bother Sammy. I won't be far away." Dean walked out the way they had come in before Mello could say anything.

Mello blinked, wondering what was troubling the other outside of being tired. He kept an eye on Sam, hoping this would be all right.

Dean found a bench close to the shrine proper and sat down. He was tired but he was also bothered and had no idea what was causing it. Something didn't feel right. He knew Mello and Sam would guard each other in the shrine but felt the need to be outside watching.

A young woman dressed in the traditional red and white of a shrine maiden approached, speaking in English. Her voice was soft but accented. "All you well, sir?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you. Just jet lag."

"May I sit," she asked.

Dean stared at her for a moment. "Yes."

She gave him a sweet smile, sitting down. "I could see the tiredness but something else seems to be bothering you," she commented. "I am Chieko."

"I'm Tom. I'm fine actually." Dean could be quite stoic and he did not know this woman. He would talk to Mello and Sam once they were alone.

"It is an honor to meet you, Tom-san," she answered politely, tilting her head to look up at the sky. 

Dean's eyes followed her gaze upward. There were some clouds coming in. 'Rain?' he wondered.

Chieko sighed, observing the clouds. "Storms can be a good thing but also bad. I do not trust them lately," the miko said to him in a quiet voice.

"What's happening with the storms?"

"One has begun, and the winds that accompany it reek of evil," she murmured. "I fear for the souls that will be lost."

"You're not talking about the weather are you?"

She shook her head, dark hair spilling over her shoulders. "Some miko are granted abilities from birth; one of mine is a touch of foresight. The omens are poor and becoming worse," she answered. "This shrine has been in my family for generations; I will run it after my uncle passes. It has weathered many a storm, Tom-san, but the one that has begun frightens both him and me."

"What do you know? It might help in stopping the storm."

"The balance is being disturbed," Chieko said quietly. "The winds and omens speak of an unnatural influence that must be stopped."

"Do you know what kind of influence? What it is?"

The miko shook her head. "That has not been revealed to me, but those caught in the storm's wake must be wary as madness, destruction, and death are at the heart of it."

"I know," Dean whispered. He didn't know how he knew. He just did. "I really need to know what it is called and how to fight it." He shook his head, his shoulders sagging. It felt like a great burden all of a sudden.

Chieko turned in her seat, lightly touching his shoulder. "Do not despair," she murmured. "You and yours are surrounded by light; have hope and trust in yourself." The miko was quiet. "Those of us who truly follow will do what we can to aid those fighting the storm."

"Can we beat it?"

"You must," she told him. "More hangs in the balance than you know." The girl tilted her head for a moment as the wind curled around them, caressing them with a jasmine scented softness. "I will help if I can. If more is revealed, is there a way to reach you?"

Dean was still for a moment, unsure if he should give his number to her. Had he said too much?

Sighing, he decided to take a chance. He gave her is number.

"You should not doubt yourself," she murmured. "You and yours are champions of the balance, and all who work to protect it will lend you their aid." She took the number. "Remember that."

"I will. Thank you." Dean looked up and saw his brother and Mello standing at the entrance looking for him.

"Be at peace," she said, rising to her feet. "We have faith in you and yours."

Dean looked up at her and made eye contact, what he read there calmed him. "Thank you," he whispered, rising to his feet.

Chieko bowed before heading to attend to more of her duties.

Mello tilted his head, wondering what was going on.

Dean put his hands in his pockets and watched the young woman walk towards the gardens. He turned back towards his two companions and waved them on.

The blond motioned for him to join them. "We're heading to lunch."

"Sounds good. Where do you want to eat?"

"We can stop by a street vendor," Mello offered. "Depends on what you’re in the mood for. Everything ok?"

"Yeah. After we eat can we go back to the hotel? I need to talk to you guys and out here is not a good idea."

"All right," he said. "Ramen? Someone mentioned a good vendor not far from the hotel."

"Sounds good." Sam looked at his brother, a question in his eyes.

"Not here, Jonny."

Mello nodded, taking a look at Dean for a moment before heading down the steps.

The two men followed. "Hey, Aiden, what kind of ramen do they serve? Do you know?"

"No idea," he called back. "This will be an adventure."

"Why not." Sam laughed and followed the other two.

Mello led them to a bus stop, paying as the bus arrived and let the two men take a seat first. He sent a quick text off to Watari, smiling a bit at the response.

Dean was extremely quiet on the bus. More than usual. Sam was worried but said nothing. Dean had asked them to wait.

Once they arrived at their destination, the teen led them down the street from the hotel and spied the signs for the vendor, ducking into the shop. He replied to the greeting politely. "In Japan, the style of ramen depends on where you are and where the cook is from. This one offers two varieties to choose from - Tokyo Ramen and Shirakawa Ramen. The broth is slightly different with the Tokyo ramen having a bit more of a miso flavor. It's the toppings that make a bigger difference."

"I'll tell you what. I'm going to put myself in you capable hands. Surprise me."

"Question, how do you feel about wontons with noodles? Some people don't like starch on starch," he asked.

"I don't mind that."

Sam thought about it, “that’s too much for me."

Mello nodded, then turned to the vendor. He ordered two bowls of Tokyo Ramen and one Shirakawa Ramen, paying him for the food and drinks.

"Do we take it home?" Dean asked.

"We can," he said, changing the order to go.

They walked back to the hotel and Dean hurried towards the elevators.

Mello carried the bag, following the two men. He stopped when he heard their name called, accepting an envelope with a bow of thanks before hurrying to catch up.

They were the only ones in the elevator. Dean leaned against the back wall and bowed his head.

The ride to their floor didn’t take long and soon, they were in their suite. "Well, Watari came through," Mello told them, setting the take out containers on the table.

"What?" Dean was heading towards his room to change and stopped and turned.

"Public transportation passes," he said, getting comfortable before separating the food out.

"OH, “Dean headed towards his room.

Sam looked at Mello, "What is going on with him?"

"Jet lag," he said. "Uncle Tom, hurry back. Good food and a short kip will do you some good."

Sam stared at Dean's door. "That's more than jet lag, Mello. I know an exhausted Dean when I see one. Yeah, he's tired but something's up. Who was that girl with him?"

"I don't know, but we can ask him while we eat," he told him.

"I plan to. He was fine this morning. It seemed to hit while we were at the shrine."

"We'll find out," he said quietly.

Sam nodded, went and changed into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. 

Mello got comfortable and then sat down, waiting for them to return so they could eat.

Sam came out and joined the teen at the table. A few minutes later Dean came out barefoot, in sweatpants and a worn out tee shirt. 

"You two look comfy," he said, picking up chopsticks. Mello fished out some noodles and began eating, enjoying the flavor of pork, scallions, spinach, and other toppings mixed in.

Dean grabbed a spoon, figuring he's make less of a mess that way. He took a large bite and smiled. "This is good."

"Mmhmm," he hummed around a mouthful.

Sam was enjoying his, and finally a bite, cleared his throat and asked, "What happened at the shrine?"

Mello kept eating, taking a sip of his ramune at the same time.

"I had this really bad feeling while sitting in the gardens. It was like nothing I've ever felt before. It scared me and made me angry that it did that."

The blond nodded, letting him talk.

"I couldn't stay inside the shrine. I had this feeling that if I did something would come...attack us I guess."

"According to what we've been able to upload of our mutual uncle's library, grounds like that are very charged spiritually," Mello told him. 

"Yeah, the girl told me there were storms coming and it's up to us to stop them." Dean gave a full statement of what was said between him and the girl. He looked at the other two. "Sam is usually the one who gets this stuff. Not me. I'm not sure how to deal with it. If I'm even supposed to."

Mello set his chopsticks down, getting up to grab his laptop. His fingers moved rapidly over the keyboard. "This shrine is reputable; one of the oldest in Tokyo, surviving a lot of wars over the ages. The bloodline of the family is rumored to have abilities, but no one has been allowed to test." He looked up. "This might be a source we can use in the future...if her gift is reliable."

"I probably shouldn't have but I gave her my cell number. She asked for a means to contact me if she sees more. It felt right."

"If it felt right, then you did the right thing," Mello told him.

"I wasn't expecting anything like this, man. I mean, yeah, I've dealt with demons, angels, and monsters, but not getting weird vibes and spiritual stuff aimed at me."

"The world of the supernatural varies from culture to culture," the blond commented, picking up his chopsticks again.

"Really? So the Japanese spirits are attaching themselves to me?"

"Could be more she saw or heard something on whatever plain she's connected to, and she decided to take a chance to warn you," he said, taking a bite of his ramen.

"Yeah...she did that all right. Do we need to let the boss know?"

"I'll update him," he said, taking another bite and writing up a brief report before sending it off to L.

Dean finished his ramen and stood up. "I think I'm going to sleep this off. I feel absolutely drained." He headed towards his room.

"No more than an hour or two, Uncle Tom," he reminded him. "You'll fry your sleep schedule if you don't."

"Gotcha," Dean replied shutting his door behind him.

"Think I'll make sure I don't have any assignments and relax before we get notification of the meeting," Mello said, finishing his ramen off.

"I'm going to do some research, I think. See if there's anything significant in storms as far as Shinto goes." 

Sam went to get his computer

The blond threw out the trash and settled himself to work, knowing there was a lot more to get done before this case could be called over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s End Note – We hope everyone enjoyed this. Please leave your thoughts in a review and let us know what you thought of the chapter! ~ Laran and Tisha


	5. L's Broadcast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note – We used the dialogue from the anime for the broadcast in order to stay true to the anime. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thanks to everyone who has been reading so faithfully.
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Death Note” or “Supernatural.” We do not make money from this story.

Mello snapped a piece of chocolate off of his bar, grateful Watari had sent him a stash to help with the times he needed to concentrate. "You guys, the broadcast is due to start," he called out, knowing they were getting ready for an evening in. He was dressed in his pajamas, laptop open with the private chat between L and his heirs going.

Dean walked out of his room dressed in light sweat pants and a Journey tee shirt his family had bought him when he lost weight. He was barefooted with hair going in every direction from towel drying it. He walked into the kitchen and saw the hot water was ready for a cup of tea.

"You want a cup of tea, Adrian" he called from the kitchenette.

"Hot chocolate please," he called, snapping another piece off of his candy bar.

"Johnny! You want something to drink" the hunter yelled at his brother as the man’s bedroom door opened.

Sam was dressed similar to his brother, with hair combed. "Just a bottled water, Tom," he answered.

Mello looked over at the pair, then back at the television. His stomach was in knots, even with knowing L had been thorough in revising his original plan to confront Kira. It was still a risk though, and it worried him.

Dean walked out of the kitchen with two steaming cups and one bottled water on a tray. He placed them next to the computer and sat down.

"Should be starting soon," he murmured.

Sam looked at his brother. Neither had any idea what L was planning. They waited expectantly. Both were tense.

The normal televised program was brought to a halt as a newscaster's voice was heard. Mello quietly translated what was being said. "“We interrupt this program to bring you a special, world-wide broadcast from the ICPO, Interpol. We’ll start now.”

Both brothers remained quiet, waiting.

The blond watched as a news desk appeared, manned by an attractive male wearing a rather nice suit.

“I am Lind L. Tailor, the sole person able to mobilize the world’s police, also known as L. There has been a string of serial killings targeting criminals. This is the most atrocious act of murder in history, and it will not go unpunished. I will definitely catch the one behind the murders, commonly known as ‘Kira.’ Kira, I have a pretty good idea behind your motive and why you’re doing this. But what you’re doing is evil!”

"What the hell is he doing," Dean spoke sharply with his voice raised in anger.

"Tom, calm down," his brother spoke softly.

Mello's eyes widened in disbelief when Tailor clutched at his chest, displaying all the classic sounds of a heart attack. "Mary Mother of God, what the hell?" His fingers flew over the keyboard, questioning his fellow heirs.

"He just declared war, Johnny, and we don't know who the hell he is!"

"Calm down," Mello stated. "I'll explain once the broadcast is done." He gestured to the TV where the screen had gone white with the gothic letter L the international detective favored for identification purposes.

“Unbelievable. I had to check to be sure because who could think someone could do something like this? It’s unfathomable to believe that someone could kill another person without having direct contact with them. I had to see it with my own eyes.”

L's electronically enhanced voice was heard over the speakers; the man had stammered slightly over the first word but gained strength as he continued speaking.

“Listen to me, Kira. If it was you who killed Lind L. Tailor, thinking that person was me, then you were wrong. All you did was murder a man scheduled for execution. You didn’t hear of him as the police arrested him in secret, and his trial was also kept from the media. It seems that you couldn’t get information on him. Interesting.”

Dean sat, staring at the screen. "He used him?"

Mello held up his hand, gesturing politely for silence as L's broadcast continued. The part he was terrified of was coming, and the hand was shaking as he waited.

“You did not kill me. I, L, still exist. So come on and try to kill me! C’mon, Kira, kill me! What’s the matter, can’t you do it?”

"Oh my god," Sam whispered. Dean still stared in shock.

Several seconds went by, Mello's eyes glued to his computer. He didn't relax until L's voice was heard again, comforting the blond even with the electronic distortion.

“So it seems even you have limits, which raises even more questions that will only be answered after you’re caught and brought to justice. Until we meet again, Kira…”

Mello slammed a hand on the table, nearly upsetting his cup of cocoa. "Way to go, Matty! We know where to start looking. Let's see you run now, you son of a bitch," he snarled, typing in the chat box.

"Damn it!" Dean headed towards his room.

"Tom, wait," Sam called out. "I think there's more to this."

The hunter stopped, turned around and stood there...waiting.

"Lind L. Tailor was a convicted murderer," Mello stated. "Serial killer that didn't get any news headlines at all. He volunteered to do this for L; in his own words, it beat out the electric chair."

Dean slightly nodded, saying nothing at first. He finally sighed and started walking back toward the others. "Go on. What else? What the hell do we do know that this Kira knows we're looking for him?"

"Tailor's sacrifice gave us three very important pieces of data," the blond continued.

"Okay. What," the older man asked.

"One, the method being used to kill is indeed supernatural in origin," Mello began, ticking the points off on his fingers. "Two, Kira needs a name and/or face to make his kills happen. Thirdly, and most important, we know where to start looking. The broadcast would be reaired in each section of Japan until Kira took the bait. He's in the Kanto region."

"Okay," Dean relaxed. He looked at his brother. "I really need to call that girl back. This may open some ideas for her. Maybe she'll see something, or her spirits can tell her. It can't hurt."

Mello kept typing, talking to L and the others. He almost jumped when Dean's cell rang.

"Hello," Dean answered.

"Thomas-san," a gentle voice greeted. "I am Chieko; we spoke at the shrine the other day?"

"I was just thinking about trying to get hold of you," Dean replied.

"You watched the broadcast, Thomas-san," she asked.

"Yes. What kind of spirit or supernatural weapon is Kira using? Do you know? Can you give us some idea of what to look for?"

"My uncle and I both will be looking for answers," she promised. "However, I must warn you and your group to be extremely cautious. Kira is dabbling in forces that cannot be controlled. The backlash could be catastrophic for many."

"How do we be careful? What do we need to be aware of to protect ourselves? Do you know?"

"Keep your identities to yourself," she warned. "It seems Kira needs only a name to kill, and I do not wish to find you or yours have come to harm. Be discreet and careful. If more information comes to me, I promise to call. If you need me, please call."

"I have your number on my caller ID. I'll add it to my phone. Thank you very much."

"You are welcome, Thomas-san," she stated. "May the kami watch over you."

"Watch out for yourselves also. If Kira knows you are helping, it could be dangerous for you."

"I shall," she answered, soon ending the call.

Dean turned off his phone and set it next to his cup of now lukewarm tea. He closed his eyes for a moment. Finally looking up at the other two, he all but whispered, "We need to talk to the boss man." Laying his head back, he bit his bottom lip, chewing on it in stress.

Mello got up, going into his room and came back with three headsets. "Put these on," he instructed, turning the TV up a bit louder.

The two hunters donned the headsets and waited.

A screen opened on Mello's laptop and both L and Near could be seen. "You wished to speak with me," L asked.

Dean took a deep breath, "I have someone who is highly attuned to the spirit world. We all have to be more discreet than we have been. Our real names are now gone. We cannot mention them at all. That means in the suites we are staying in, taxis, buses, even a private limo. She said that Kira only needs a name to kill. That's it. So whatever Kira is using only needs to know our names. That limits the search on the supernatural side a bit. It's going to be something out of the ordinary. Most likely, Japanese. If you can let the researchers know...I'd be grateful. I don't want to banter their names about."

"I will ensure it is taken care of," he replied. "We typically use pseudonyms when not home so we will ensure to follow that guide."

"Thank you but you can't use your real names anywhere...even home until whatever Kira is using is destroyed."

"Indeed," he agreed. "Please send what information your new source provides so we can include it into the files. I believe the three of you will find something of interest in the Kanto region."

"Okay. What I've given is all there is right now. I won't give the name out if you don't mind."

"Adrian can send it in an encrypted email," he said. "We will ensure the privacy and protection of your source. We all know how good our computer genius is."

"All right," Dean replied. "Warn those back home, if you would. Let them know they won't be hearing from us."

"Adrian has encrypted ways of doing so, but they should be utilized minimally. I would say once a week but choose random days to do so," he advised.

"Thank you, Sir. Is there anything we need to know before we head out? I assume we'll be leaving tomorrow?"

"New hotel reservations will be sent to Adrian's email within the hour," he stated. "By the way, you three did a good job with the case a few days ago. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you, Sir."

The call ended, and Mello dropped his headset onto the table before bowing his head. Tonight had put his mentor and older brother figure at risk, and it was catching up to him.

Dean leaned over, shoulders sagging, head down low, with his arms between his legs, fists clenched tightly and hitting each other. He softly whispered, "Damn! Damn! Damn," every time his fist hit.

Sam stared with a disbelieving look on his face.

The blond didn't react, fists clenching on the table as he tried every method he knew to get himself calmed down.

Dean finally sat back up and asked the teen, "What time is the flight? Or are we renting a car?"

"Kanto is part of Tokyo," he said. "We'll have a car waiting for us to take us to our new hotel," the teen murmured.

Dean was quiet for a moment. "Uh...better driver than the ones who drive taxis?"

Sam broke out in almost hysterical laughter. The stress and fear easing for a moment

Mello shook his head, still looking down. "No, someone we trust."

"Maybe we should try to eat something and get to bed early. Gonna be a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing his face with his hands. "Gimme a few." The teenager got up, looking upset and headed to his room to try to calm down.

"Sam, Kira is going to be looking of us but especially L. Damn, he's not usually stupid. I wish I knew what Watari is thinking right now. We were supposed to prevent something like this."

"Mello might be able to explain it," he said quietly. "L needed to test to get an idea of where he was and gain some hint of his methodology." Sam went quiet for a moment. "I think you need to talk to Mello. He looked upset."

"Yeah. I know the feeling," Dean got up and walked towards the teen's room and softly knocked, "Mello? Can I come in.?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly.

The hunter entered the room and quietly closed the door. He walked over to the bed the teen was laying on and sat down beside him.

"Wanna talk about it, man. I think I'm about as messed up about this as you are."

Mello was quiet for a moment before speaking in a soft tone of voice. "Logically, I understand what he did. He had to put himself at risk to test whatever it is Kira is using. It's the emotional side that's making it hard." He swallowed against the lump in his throat. "He's a big brother/father figure to all three of us. The idea of losing him...it hurts."

Dean sat beside the young man staring at the floor for a moment. "You know. I owe my whole life to L and Watari. I guess in my mind it’s logical...to a point...but the gut says it's damn stupid. I came to stop this from happening. Now we got to find this guy and destroy whatever monster he's using before he finds L and the others. I damn well don't think he'll stop with L. Will you help me do this? It's a Japanese monster. Has to be. How many kinds of monster does Japan have?"

"More than you might think," he said. "What if it's not Japanese but migrated here for safety? There's a lot to consider." Mello was quiet for a moment. "He was going to push Kira harder, but we managed to talk him out of that. Sometimes, he gets too caught up in the puzzles. He would've given away too much information in that broadcast."

"He's not thinking logically about this. It's more than a puzzle. It's a deathtrap. We need to find out what this thing is that Kira is using. Fast."

"For the moment, Kira has no idea we're in Japan," he stated, rubbing his face. "He doesn't know what we know. Knowing our favorite red head, security around the database for the police will be stepped up."

“Okay. Just curious. What if this Kira has access to the police databases? I men he knew everything about each victim. I understand it just requires a name but there was one on the list that was never given out and he died."

Mello sat up, thinking over things rapidly. "Shite, I need to call our favorite elf lover."

"Yeah. Please do."

He grabbed his phone, punching in the speed dial key for Near. A moment later, the blond began speaking. "Hey, question..has Ryuzaki started cross-checking where the names of these criminals were aired? Ok, might want to see how many of those were in the NPA database too. Ok, talk to you later."

Dean sighed. Yeah, he'll find it. It was never on the news. I researched that because we needed to know how he was getting them. I just know you guys know everything. It never occurred to me that his not being on the air would be important until now."

"That's why L had to push to test it," he murmured, rubbing his face.

"Yeah, but the test didn't test where he got his info on that one murderer. It was kept quiet because they were after a team."

"Could be the database," he commented quietly.

"That's what I'm afraid of. But I have one question. Is the database limited to the station in Kanto and its employees or is it national?"

"National for employees only," he answered. "Our favorite red head will be working on that issue to ensure we know what's being accessed around the case."

"Well, we know it is coming from Kanto..so it limits it some. It depends on if they just have access at the station or from home also."

"Exactly," he answered. "Just a lot of data for us to wade through."

"Whole lot less than national."

"We might have to find ways to distract him too," he sighed.

"Yeah. The most important thing is keeping him or her away from L and the team. I just have this bad feeling that L might be on a tangent with this one. Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"It's why we're the faces of the team right now," he said softly. "It's also why L didn't push any further."

"Okay. I hope he keeps it that way. Seriously. I'm scared for him, Mello."

"As am I," he whispered.

"Well, we have to just make sure he doesn't show up in any way, shape, form, or fashion. I can't take another loss. I don't imagine you can either."

"No, especially not L. Our family unit..it's small and not traditional," he admitted. "Losing him would break all three of us."

Dean leaned over and pulled the teen into his arms and hugged him. "Man, all I had was Dad, Sammy, and Bobby. Dad's gone. For a while it was just Sammy and me. Then Bobby was back in our lives. It's small. Losses are devastating. They eat you up. I understand," Dean whispered into the teen's ear as tears flowed down the hunter's face.

Mello hugged him back, glad he had this man around. Usually, he was pretty strong but this had really shaken him.

The two had no idea how long they had stayed that way, but there was a knock at the door. Sam poked his head in and asked if they were hungry. "There's a pot roast dinner on the table if you want to eat. They had mashed potatoes, carrots, and hot rolls." He shut the door.

"I forgot this hotel has non-Asian options for food," he said, rubbing his face.

Dean wiped his eyes. "It sounds good. You okay?"

"Better, thanks for listening," he said softly. "Oh and just fyi...you and your brother are part of our family now too. Same with Uncle Bobby and the rest."

Dean sniffed softly, "Yeah, you're ours too. That's why I'm having the same problem you are. At least we got each other to lean on. Sam too, you know. I just tend to do this more. Thank you for letting me talk to you and I'm glad I got to listen and be there for you."

"You're welcome," he said, hugging once more. "Now let's go eat before tyour brother eats everything."

Dean laughed, "Yeah, maybe we better." The two headed out the door.

Mello headed towards the kitchen, ready to eat and then check on a few things before resting.

Dean made some iced tea with the small tea bags and brought a glass for his brother as well as for himself. He made a rich chocolate milk for Mello.

"Thank you," Mello said, getting situated in his seat.

The meal was delicious. Sam went for seconds, but Dean was satisfied with one helping. He put his dishes on the cart. Entering the kitchen the hunter washed his glass and the cups from earlier. He walked back into the living room and said good night, heading off to bed.

The blond went to work for a while, hoping they'd be able to solve this case quickly. Like Dean, he had a bad feeling about it and wanted it done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s End Note – I hope you guys enjoyed it; please let us know what you thought of the chapter. See you next time!


	6. Information on Kira

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors’ Note – Well, it’s been a while but IRL issues as well as bad health really slowed us down. I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Thank you so much for being so patient.
> 
> Disclaimer – We do not own “Supernatural” or “Death Note,” and we do not make money from this story.

Back in Texas, things had been fairly quiet for the family. Matt did make attempts to socialize with Ben and the others, but he was spending a good chunk of his days in the massive computer room that had been set up in the wing created for L, his heirs, and Watari. It wasn’t abnormal for Bobby to be there as well, scanning the library he’d created with the red haired genius.

It had taken them a long while to get every book that Bobby owned scanned and set into a special database, but the hunter agreed it was worth the effort, especially whenever he was called by other hunters for information regarding a hunt they were on. He went through the documents, trying to find something that matched the information his boys and L were sending him.

“Huh,” Matt muttered, sitting up as he tapped a few commands into his computer. “Okay, this has gone from just screwy to sickeningly screwy.”

The hunter moved his chair over to the teen’s computer. “What’d you find,” he asked, looking over the boy’s shoulder.

“So I pulled up a list of known Kira related deaths by date and time,” the boy answered, picking up a piece of Toblerone that Watari had stocked for him before leaving. “I put all of it into a spreadsheet to keep track of things and see if I could find a pattern. I found one, and L is going to be pissed.”

Bobby frowned, “What the hell is it?”

Matt sucked on the chocolate in his mouth, then washed it down with a cup of tea before answering. He pulled up a diagram that showed the times and days of the deaths.

“The deaths happen either early in the morning before eight a.m. or in the afternoon and early evening,” he said. “Weekends are a bit more active as well. Based on this evidence, I’m forced to conclude that Kira is a high school student. Teachers wouldn’t have these hours due to after school activities and grading they have to do. So it’s got to be a teenager doing this.”

“How does a teenager get that kind of power? Better yet, how’s he gaining access to the police database?” 

“I’m going to have to see where the news of these criminals are coming from,” he said. “Japan airs a lot of the trial results on their daily news. I’ll have to cross reference to see if there were any that showed up only on the national police website.”

“Do they give out information on if the prisoners were in cell blocks or solitary?”

“No, trial results only,” he said. “Some of these criminals were out of prison but in unspecified areas to the news so I don’t think he needs a location to do this. This makes no damned sense!”

“Well, he has something he’s using...a spell or some cursed object. Hell, it’s Japan. There’s no telling what kind of ancient bullshit this kid’s dug up.”

Matt nodded grimly, eyes on the screen. He knew there were a lot of options and too much data to sift through. 

“I wish the miko Dean ran into had more information for us,” he said. “It’s hard to conduct a search with so many variables. As it is, it’s difficult to do a profile on Kira. Near’s report was too wide, and he was complaining about the variables as well. You know it’s bad when he’s showing he’s not pleased.”

“Maybe Dean needs to tell her what we have. It couldn’t hurt.”

“Not without L’s okay,” he answered. “We have to control the flow of information until we know for absolute certainty as to where Kira is getting all of his information from. It’s frustrating, but we’re going to have to play more of the waiting game.”

“How many high schools are in the area they narrowed down to?”

He took off his tinted glasses, rubbing his eyes as he answered.

“Too many,” the red head told him. “Anywhere from private schools to trade school based. L and Near both agree that Kira possibly has an incredibly high I.Q., and we’re talking high enough to potentially qualify for Whammy’s school and the network following that. The problem is that this person, whoever he is, doesn’t seem to have the conscience that most people have. Near theorizes that he may have started off with some degree of wariness and concern but the amount of deaths since the first ones that gained the ICPO’s attention indicates an alarming slide into sociopathy.”

“Damn! I’d rather wait until we know more before we let the boys know. L isn’t the only one who’s going to be pissed. We have to find something for them to do. Dean doesn’t do sitting and waiting very well. He’s not like he used to be. Let them follow some off the wall lead.”

“That’s the problem; I can make a suggestion that Mello start checking out the cram schools since the hours show that Kira may be doing just that,” he sighed. “Not much else for them to do outside of checking out any known hang outs for teens; I get the feeling Kira doesn’t get out much at all. I don’t know.”

“That’s pretty much in Mello’s ballpark. This sucks big time. I hope there is a lot to see and do there. Damn!’

“They were warned this could be a possibility,” Matt said, putting his glasses back on so he could write L an email and send him the attachment to back up his findings. “That’s why Mello was assigned to go with them in case a teenager was needed. It sucks, but it’s part of this kind of investigation.”

He stared at the screen after hitting send. 

“Right, now the ball is in L’s court and we’ll see what happens now. I may widen the net in regards to deaths of those who were convicted or even accused of a crime but acquitted,” he said with a sigh.

“Well, Lisa made a peach cobbler. I’m going fix a bowl and have a cup of coffee. You need anything?” 

“Another cup of tea please,” he said, wincing when he got a message from L. “Yup, I was right. He’s not happy, but he’s going to update the others now.”

He went back to his research, running on the idea of seeing if he could find Kira’s first victim and hoping the others wouldn’t be too upset about the news.

At the hotel, Mello’s mobile rang and he answered it, blinking for a moment before switching it to speaker phone as he turned on the background white noise unit he had with his equipment.

“Are all of you there,” L asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Dean responded.

“I was recently contacted by the family,” he said to them. “The spreadsheet of the known kills was completed, but the information given is something that we did not originally suspect.”

Mello opened his laptop, firing it up and pulling up his email to find the spreadsheet that Matt had done. L had forwarded it to him, and he opened it.

Dean looked over the info and looked back over. “We’re looking for a kid? What the hell!”

Sam looked over, recognizing the hours that were normal for a teenager who also attended cram school several hours a night. He shook his head, looking ill.

“We are,” L answered. “This helps with the profile, but it also makes things more complicated. I will announce this to the task force.”

“Is research being done on were the information regarding the criminals came from,” Mello asked.

“Two different sources are doing that as we speak,” the detective answered, speaking of Matt and Near. “I will most likely need you to check out various cram schools in the near future.”

“What’s a cram school,” the older brother asked. He stared at Sam, “You looked kinda sickly when he said it.” 

“It’s hard to accept that a kid could be doing this much damage,” he answered his brother, turning his head to look at Mello when he explained what a cram school was.

“It’s a class that helps with subjects a student may have issues with; they also help with preparing for certain important tests - high school entry, college entry, and the like. They run for several hours after school,” the blond answered, running his fingers through his hair. “More than likely, Kira is preparing for the university entrance exams. That would put him at the right age to be pissed off at the system for not doing what he thinks they should be doing.”

“Exactly,” L agreed. 

“You know the task force won’t be pleased with this,” Sam pointed out to L.

“I am anticipating that,” he answered. “I am trying to whittle this down to the few I know are doing this to ensure Kira will be brought to justice.”

“The task force is made up of people who use the police database,” the older hunter asked.

“There are several agencies who use that database,” he said. “I expect I shall have to take a few steps if things change after I provide this new information to the task force.”

“If we could find the people who live in this area who have access at home? Just thought it might be a start.”

“That’s where our red haired friend comes in,” Mello chirped. “I’m certain he’s working on tracking the access to the website.”

“According to Watari, he reported that he had that ready a few days ago so we shall have to wait and see how long it takes before Kira finds out that we know he’s a student,” L said. “In the meantime, I need you three to investigate the cram schools.”

Dean remained quiet, his mind running ideas.

“We’ll do that in the morning,” Mello promised. “We’ll keep in touch about what we find.”

“Excellent. I shall either call or message you tomorrow afternoon to see what you were able to uncover. Remember, follow the profile before choosing which schools to visit,” he advised, ending the call.

“Ya’ll got any ideas? I’m thinking we need computer access to the schools we visit.”

Mello pulled up the list of cram schools in the Kanto region, starting to profile the schools against what little they knew about Kira. He started writing on a spare piece of paper, making a list.

“I would bounce this to Matty, but I need to do something. You two any good at hacking,” he asked, not looking up from his work.

“Yeah, Sam knows,” Dean replied. “Oh, Matt said I now know what he knows.”

The taller brother murmured, “Smart ass.” The older man smirked.

Mello hid a chuckle. He knew his friend well; Dean would know quite a bit, but Matt was the kind of person to ensure not all of his knowledge was shared in case he had to out-hack a trouble maker. He tore off two slips of papers from what he was working on, handing them to the brothers.

“What we’re looking for are certain cram schools who accept the higher level students in regards to intellect, academic plans, and are rated very highly for success rates,” he said. “Kira’s parents would want only the best for him since they would be proud of his intelligence and academic success so far, and we’re looking for the best.”

Dean headed for his room. As he reached the door, he turned and asked, “Do you want info on the kids who fit?”

“Actually, let’s just get the list of the schools for now. I’ll bounce everything over to Matt since he’s better at not leaving any tracks behind,” he said. “I’m good at this, but I’m not at his level. I’d rather not chance any mistakes right now.”

Dean nodded and disappeared. Three hours later, he handed Mello the names of two schools. “They’re both top notch. The first one is the cream of the crop and very expensive.”

Mello took the papers from him and Sam, looking them over.

“Right, I’ll send these to Watari and have him set up appointments for us. He can do so as official interpreter since a minor can’t arrange his own schooling and my guardians don’t speak Japanese,” he explained as he emailed Watari with all of the information. 

After a few moments, Watari emailed back a confirmation and the blond nodded.

“He’ll call us tomorrow morning with the appointment times,” he said. “So we’ve a plan for tomorrow then. You two get to play concerned uncles about ensuring I can be ready for university next year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors’ End Note – I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Again, Mom and I apologize for the length of time it’s taken to get it done. Thank you for reading, and please let us know what you thought of it! ~Laran

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s End Note – I hope everyone enjoyed this. Please let us know what you thought of the chapter! Thanks for reading. ~ Laran and Tisha


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